Tomasz "Tomek" Adamek (Polish pronunciation: [ˈtɔmaʂ aˈdamɛk]; born 1 December 1976) is a Polish former professional boxer who competed from 1999 to 2018. He held world championships in two weight classes, including the WBC light heavyweight title from 2005 to 2007, and the IBF and The Ring magazine cruiserweight titles from 2008 to 2009. He also held the IBO cruiserweight title in 2007, and challenged once for the WBC heavyweight title in 2011. BoxRec ranks Adamek as the third greatest Polish boxer of all time, pound for pound.[1] He is the first Polish boxer to win The Ring title.

Tomasz Adamek
Adamek with the IBF title, 2008
Born (1976-12-01) 1 December 1976 (age 47)
Other namesGóral
Statistics
Weight(s)
Height1.87 m (6 ft 2 in)
Reach191 cm (75 in)
Boxing record
Total fights61
Wins55
Wins by KO32
Losses6
Medal record
Men's amateur boxing
Representing  Poland
European Championships
Bronze medal – third place 1998 Minsk Light heavyweight

Early life

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Adamek was born in Żywiec, Poland, as of 2012 he resided in Kearny, New Jersey.[2]

Professional career

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Adamek made his professional boxing debut on 13 March 1999 in Manchester, England against Israel Khumalo. He won by TKO in the first round.[3]

Light-heavyweight

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WBC light-heavyweight champion

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Adamek won the vacant WBC light-heavyweight title defeating Paul "Firepower" Briggs by majority decision on 21 May 2005. The fight was described by some as one of the most brutal in recent memory, as Briggs suffered a large cut above his left eye early in the fight and Adamek bled profusely from his nose for much of the fight as well. Adamek tended to be the aggressor and won the fight.

On 15 October 2005, he defended his title against German boxer Thomas Ulrich by knockout in Round 6.

He then defended his title in a rematch with Paul Briggs in 2006, again winning by majority decision. After the fight Jim Lampley said that Adamek vs Briggs I and II was the best combined 24 rounds he has ever seen.

Adamek vs. Dawson

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Undefeated Adamek with 31-0 (21 KO) lost his first fight by unanimous decision to Chad Dawson on 3 February 2007. During that fight, Adamek was knocked down in the seventh round; this was only the second time in his career he has been knocked down (upon slow-motion replay, Adamek was shown to have tripped on Dawson's foot after the body shot). Adamek, well behind on points, provided some drama by suddenly dropping Dawson in the 10th round but Dawson fended off the onslaught that followed, and won a clear-cut points decision. Immediately following the loss to Dawson, Adamek decided to move up in the cruiserweight division.

Cruiserweight

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After losing to Dawson, Adamek moved up to cruiserweight to beat Luis Andres Pineda by technical knockout in round seven. He defeated Josip Jalusic on 29 December 2007 in Germany.

Adamek vs. Bell

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On 19 April 2008, in Poland, Adamek fought former undisputed cruiserweight champion O'Neil Bell in an IBF Cruiserweight title eliminator. Adamek floored Bell in round one and had good success by outboxing Bell. Bell opted not to come out for round eight, citing that he felt dizzy and ill.

IBF and lineal cruiserweight champion

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In December 2008 he fought the then reigning champion Steve Cunningham at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. Knocking a game Cunningham down three times, he won the IBF and vacant lineal cruiserweight titles in a bout many thought was the fight of the year.[4]

Adamek successfully defended his title against Johnathon Banks on 27 February 2009, at the Prudential Center in Newark. He won with a brutal TKO in the 8th Round. He then went on to defeat Bobby Gunn before a large crowd at the Prudential Center on 11 July 2009, with the referee stopping the bout at the ring physician's advice between rounds four and five.

He vacated the IBF title on 18 October 2009, choosing to move up to the heavyweight division.[5]

Heavyweight

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On 24 October 2009 in Łódź, Poland, Adamek defeated Andrew Golota by TKO in the fifth round to win the IBF "International" Heavyweight Title. Then, on 6 February 2010 in Newark's Prudential Center he defeated Jason Estrada by unanimous decision after 12 rounds.

Adamek (40-1; 27 KO) then took on fellow heavyweight contender Chris Arreola (28-1; 25 KO) on 24 April 2010, at the Citizens Business Bank Arena in Ontario, California. The bout was televised as part of Boxing After Dark. The Polish fighter won a twelve-round majority decision, with the scores of 114–114, 115–113, and 117–111. A day before the bout, Arreola weighed 250½ pounds, while Adamek was 217.

In 2010 he was the first Polish winner of the "Muhammad Ali Athlete Award" at the Giant Awards diner in Chicago.

 
Klitschko and Adamek, during signing for the fight in 2011

Adamek defeated veteran American Michael Grant by unanimous decision on 21 August 2010.[6] In his first fight of 2011, Adamek defeated Irishman Kevin McBride by a wide unanimous decision.[7]

Adamek vs. Vitali Klitschko

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On 10 September 2011 Adamek faced the WBC heavyweight champion Vitali Klitschko in Poland, losing by TKO in the 10th round, in the first ever PPV fight in Polish TV history.[8][9] The referee stopped the bout after Adamek received punishing blows and was ruled out, as he was no longer able to defend himself.

Post-Klitschko fights

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Adamek returned on 24 March 2012, after signing a contract with Main Events, defeating Nagy Aguilera by unanimous decision. He then agreed to face former heavyweight contender Eddie Chambers. Both Adamek and Chambers were praised for taking the fight with no world title nor mandatory position on the line.[10][11] Coming into the fight, Adamek was ranked No.3 heavyweight contender by The Ring, while Chambers, having had only one fight in two years and three months, was unranked by the publication.[12] The fight was the main event of the Fight Night card on NBC Sports. In the opening rounds, both fighters were trading shots, with Chambers landing the most meaningful punches. During the first round, Chambers torn his bicep in the left arm,[13][14] and often switched between orthodox and southpaw stances throughout the rest of the fight, throwing shots almost exclusively with the right hand, mostly connecting with overhand punches.[12][15] Adamek was more active since round 3, frequently switching up from counterpuncher to aggressor. The bout lasted full twelve rounds, with Adamek being declared the winner by unanimous decision with scores 116–112 (twice) and 119–109.[16][13] According to CompuBox, 1,381 punches were thrown, with Chambers landing 152 punches out of 462 thrown (32.9% accuracy), while Adamek landed 134 punches out of 919 (14.6%).[17]

Adamek defeated Travis Walker on 8 September 2012 via fifth-round technical knockout at 1:51 due to a stoppage by the referee.[18]

Adamek defeated Steve Cunningham in a very close and somewhat controversial split decision on 22 December 2012. Initially, the result was a draw, but after noticing a mathematical miscalculation in the judges scorecards, Adamek was declared the winner.[19] On 15 March 2014 Adamek was defeated by Vyacheslav Glazkov by unanimous decision after 12 rounds, losing his IBF North American heavyweight title.[20]

Adamek vs Haumono

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On June 24, 2017, Adamek defeated Solomon Haumono via unanimous decision, 100-90, 99-91 and 99-91 on the scorecards.[21]

Adamek vs. Kassi

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On November 18, 2017, Adamek fought and defeated Fred Kassi via unanimous decision, 97-93, 96-94 and 96-94 on the scorecards.[22]

Adamek vs. Miller

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On October 6, 2018, Adamek fought heavyweight contender Jarell Miller. Miller was ranked #2 by the WBA and #5 by the WBO at the time.[23] Miller dropped Adamek twice in the second round. After the second knockdown the referee stopped the fight despite a disoriented Adamek making it to his feet.[24]

Adamek vs. Khalidov

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On February 24, 2024, in the main event of XTB KSW Epic: Chalidow vs Adamek, he fought Mamed Khalidov in a boxing match in the cage. The fight is contracted for 6 rounds with Adamek's purse being 250 000 USD.[25] He won after the third round after Khalidov suffered a hand injury in the round.[26]

Professional boxing record

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62 fights 56 wins 6 losses
By knockout 31 3
By decision 25 3
No. Result Record Opponent Type Round, time Date Location Notes
59 Loss 53–6 Jarrell Miller KO 2 (12), 0:51 6 Oct 2018 Wintrust Arena, Chicago, Illinois, US
58 Win 53–5 Joey Abell TKO 7 (10), 2:33 21 Apr 2018 Hala Sportowa, Częstochowa, Poland Retained Poland International heavyweight title
57 Win 52–5 Fred Kassi UD 10 18 Nov 2017 Hala Sportowa, Częstochowa, Poland Won vacant Poland International heavyweight title
56 Win 51–5 Solomon Haumono UD 10 24 Jun 2017 Ergo Arena, Gdańsk, Poland
55 Loss 50–5 Éric Molina KO 10 (12), 3:00 2 Apr 2016 Tauron Arena, Kraków, Poland For vacant IBF Inter-Continental heavyweight title
54 Win 50–4 Przemysław Saleta RTD 5 (10), 3:00 26 Sep 2015 Atlas Arena, Łódź, Poland
53 Loss 49–4 Artur Szpilka UD 10 8 Nov 2014 Tauron Arena, Kraków, Poland For vacant IBF International and Poland International heavyweight titles
52 Loss 49–3 Vyacheslav Glazkov UD 12 15 Mar 2014 Sands Casino Resort, Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, US Lost IBF North American heavyweight title
51 Win 49–2 Dominick Guinn UD 10 3 Aug 2013 Mohegan Sun Arena, Montville, Connecticut, US
50 Win 48–2 Steve Cunningham SD 12 22 Dec 2012 Sands Casino Resort, Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, US Retained IBF North American heavyweight title
49 Win 47–2 Travis Walker TKO 5 (12), 1:08 8 Sep 2012 Prudential Center, Newark, New Jersey, US Retained IBF North American heavyweight title
48 Win 46–2 Eddie Chambers UD 12 16 Jun 2012 Prudential Center, Newark, New Jersey, US Won vacant IBF North American heavyweight title
47 Win 45–2 Nagy Aguilera UD 10 24 Mar 2012 Aviator Sports and Events Center, New York City, New York, US
46 Loss 44–2 Vitali Klitschko TKO 10 (12), 2:20 10 Sep 2011 Stadion Miejski, Wrocław, Poland For WBC heavyweight title
45 Win 44–1 Kevin McBride UD 12 9 Apr 2011 Prudential Center, Newark, New Jersey, US Retained IBF International and NABO heavyweight titles
44 Win 43–1 Vinny Maddalone TKO 5 (12), 2:17 9 Dec 2010 Prudential Center, Newark, New Jersey, US Retained IBF International and NABO heavyweight titles
43 Win 42–1 Michael Grant UD 12 21 Aug 2010 Prudential Center, Newark, New Jersey, US Retained IBF International and NABO heavyweight titles
42 Win 41–1 Chris Arreola MD 12 24 Apr 2010 Citizens Business Bank Arena, Ontario, California, US Retained IBF International heavyweight title;
Won vacant NABO heavyweight title
41 Win 40–1 Jason Estrada UD 12 6 Feb 2010 Prudential Center, Newark, New Jersey, US Retained IBF International heavyweight title
40 Win 39–1 Andrew Golota TKO 5 (12), 1:20 24 Oct 2009 Atlas Arena, Łódź, Poland Won vacant IBF International heavyweight title
39 Win 38–1 Bobby Gunn RTD 4 (12), 3:00 11 Jul 2009 Prudential Center, Newark, New Jersey, US Retained IBF and The Ring cruiserweight titles
38 Win 37–1 Johnathon Banks TKO 8 (12), 1:30 27 Feb 2009 Prudential Center, Newark, New Jersey, US Retained IBF and The Ring cruiserweight titles
37 Win 36–1 Steve Cunningham SD 12 11 Dec 2008 Prudential Center, Newark, New Jersey, US Won IBF and vacant The Ring cruiserweight titles
36 Win 35–1 Gary Gomez RTD 7 (10), 0:01 11 Jul 2008 Aragon Ballroom, Chicago, Illinois, US
35 Win 34–1 O'Neil Bell TKO 8 (12) 19 Apr 2008 Spodek, Katowice, Poland
34 Win 33–1 Josip Jalusic UD 8 29 Dec 2007 Seidensticker Halle, Bielefeld, Germany
33 Win 32–1 Luis Andres Pineda TKO 7 (12) 9 Jun 2007 Spodek, Katowice, Poland Won vacant IBO cruiserweight title
32 Loss 31–1 Chad Dawson UD 12 3 Feb 2007 Silver Spurs Arena, Kissimmee, Florida, US Lost WBC light heavyweight title
31 Win 31–0 Paul Briggs MD 12 7 Oct 2006 Allstate Arena, Rosemont, Illinois, US Retained WBC light heavyweight title
30 Win 30–0 Thomas Ulrich KO 6 (12), 1:57 15 Oct 2005 Mehrzweckhalle Süd, Düsseldorf, Germany Retained WBC light heavyweight title
29 Win 29–0 Paul Briggs MD 12 21 May 2005 United Center, Chicago, Illinois, US Won vacant WBC light heavyweight title
28 Win 28–0 Ismail Abdoul UD 8 10 Sep 2004 Blue City, Warsaw, Poland
27 Win 27–0 Dzhabrail Dzhabrailov KO 5 (12), 0:43 17 Apr 2004 Baltic Hall, Mariehamn, Finland Won vacant WBO Inter-Continental light heavyweight title
26 Win 26–0 Olivier Beard TKO 3 (10) 20 Dec 2003 BBTS Wlokniarz Hall, Bielsko-Biała, Poland
25 Win 25–0 Ed Dalton KO 2 (12), 2:14 4 Oct 2003 Baltic Hall, Mariehamn, Finland Won vacant IBF Inter-Continental light heavyweight title
24 Win 24–0 Roberto Coelho UD 8 30 Aug 2003 Olympiahalle, Munich, Germany
23 Win 23–0 Zoltán Béres UD 6 6 Apr 2003 Palacio de Deportes, Benidorm, Spain
22 Win 22–0 Andrei Karsten TKO 2 (6) 15 Feb 2003 Töölö Sports Hall, Helsinki, Finland
21 Win 21–0 Varuzhan Davtyan RTD 4 (6), 3:00 14 Dec 2002 Telewest Arena, Newcastle, England
20 Win 20–0 Laverne Clark TKO 3 (12) 18 Oct 2002 Sport Hall, Kozienice, Poland Won vacant Poland International light heavyweight title
19 Win 19–0 Mihai Iftode UD 8 27 Jul 2002 Hala Milenium, Kołobrzeg, Poland
18 Win 18–0 Siarhei Karanevich UD 10 24 May 2002 Płońsk, Poland Won vacant CISBB light heavyweight titles
17 Win 17–0 Willie McDonald TKO 3 (6) 6 Apr 2002 Łódź, Poland
16 Win 16–0 Dzianis Salomka TKO 5 (6) 23 Feb 2002 OSiR, Włocławek, Poland
15 Win 15–0 Ruslan Hladkykh UD 6 29 Dec 2001 Sport Hall, Konin, Poland
14 Win 14–0 Zdravko Kostic UD 10 10 Nov 2001 Sport Hall, Włocławek, Poland
13 Win 13–0 Timofey Maklakov TKO 3 (10) 11 Aug 2001 Sport Hall, Jaworzno, Poland
12 Win 12–0 Ion Voica KO 1 (6) 18 May 2001 Sport Hall, Warsaw, Poland
11 Win 11–0 Rudi Lupo UD 10 2 Mar 2001 Sport Hall, Warsaw, Poland Won IBC Inter-Continental light heavyweight title
10 Win 10–0 Nino Cirilo TKO 3 (8) 3 Nov 2000 Sport Hall, Nowy Dwór, Poland
9 Win 9–0 Stanislav Schreiber TKO 3 (10) 14 Oct 2000 Sport Hall, Dębica, Poland
8 Win 8–0 Glenn Odem TKO 4 (6) 10 Jun 2000 Sport Hall, Elbląg, Poland
7 Win 7–0 Terry Ford TKO 3 (6) 25 Mar 2000 Białystok, Poland
6 Win 6–0 Mark Lee Dawson TKO 3 (6) 21 Feb 2000 Elephant and Castle Shopping Centre, London, England
5 Win 5–0 Melvin Wynn TKO 3 (6) 10 Dec 1999 Warsaw, Poland
4 Win 4–0 Kevin Whaley-El TKO 4 (6) 22 Oct 1999 Legia na Bemowie Hall, Warsaw, Poland
3 Win 3–0 Milko Stoikov TKO 3 (6) 26 Jun 1999 Hala Ludowa, Wrocław, Poland
2 Win 2–0 Smokey Enison TKO 2 (4), 2:50 29 Apr 1999 York Hall, London, England
1 Win 1–0 Israel Khumalo TKO 1 (4), 2:15 13 Mar 1999 Bowlers Exhibition Centre, Manchester, England

Television viewership

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United States

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Date Fight Viewership Network Source(s)
22 December 2012
Tomasz Adamek vs. Steve Cunningham
3,200,000
NBC Sports [27][28][nb 1]
Total viewership 3,200,000
  1. ^ Peak viewership

Pay-per-view bouts

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Date Fight Pay-per-view buys Country Network Source(s)
10 September 2011
Vitali Klitschko vs. Tomasz Adamek
200,000
Poland Cyfra+ PPV [29][30]
8 November 2014
Tomasz Adamek vs. Artur Szpilka
100,000
Poland Cyfrowy Polsat PPV [31]
Total sales 300,000

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "BoxRec ratings: Poland, pound-for-pound, active and inactive". BoxRec. Retrieved 10 July 2021.
  2. ^ Idec, Keith. "Tomasz Adamek impressive in victory", The Record (Bergen County), March 25, 2012, backed up by the Internet Archive as of March 28, 2012. Accessed January 31, 2018. "Tomasz Adamek methodically made a successful comeback Saturday night from his lopsided loss to Vitali Klitschko.... Adamek, a native of Poland who resides in Kearny, improved to 45–2."
  3. ^ "BoxRec: Bout". boxrec.com. Retrieved 2021-08-29.
  4. ^ "Tomasz Adamek - Lineal Cruiserweight Champion". The Cyber Boxing Zone Encyclopedia.
  5. ^ Cassidy, Bobby (2009-10-18). "Tomasz Adamek vacates IBF cruiserweight title". Newsday.com. Retrieved 2009-10-19.
  6. ^ Tomasz Adamek scores win in 12-round unanimous decision over Michael Grant at the Rock in Newark, Tim Smith, DAILY NEWS, August 22, 2010
  7. ^ "Elusive Adamek gets decision over McBride". Newsday. Retrieved 2021-06-07.
  8. ^ "Walka Adamek-Kliczko: 1,15 mln widzów w RTL, 200 tys. subskrypcji PPV" (in Polish). 14 September 2011. Retrieved 29 May 2020.
  9. ^ "Tomasz Adamek vs Witalij Kliczko – 200 tys. widzów zapłaciło po 40 zł" (in Polish). Retrieved 29 May 2020.
  10. ^ "Adamek-Chambers matchup suits all". 14 June 2012. Retrieved 27 March 2020.
  11. ^ "TOMASZ ADAMEK BANKING ON SPEED AGAINST EDDIE CHAMBERS". 5 June 2012. Retrieved 1 April 2020.
  12. ^ a b "Tomasz Adamek vs. Eddie Chambers". Retrieved 1 April 2020.
  13. ^ a b "TOMASZ ADAMEK BEATS EDDIE CHAMBERS, BUT LOOK, ANOTHER INTERESTING SCORECARD". 17 June 2012. Retrieved 1 April 2020.
  14. ^ "Kearny's Tomasz Adamek beats Chambers to win IBF North American heavyweight boxing championship". 17 June 2012. Retrieved 1 April 2020.
  15. ^ "Tomasz Adamek defeats Eddie Chambers". 17 June 2012. Retrieved 1 April 2020.
  16. ^ "Adamek vs Chambers Results: Adamek Beats One-Armed Chambers By Decision". 17 June 2012. Retrieved 1 April 2020.
  17. ^ "Compubox Stats: Eddie Chambers vs. Tomasz Adamek". Retrieved 8 April 2020.
  18. ^ "Adamek rallies back, tops Walker in 5th round". ESPN.com. 2012-09-09. Retrieved 2021-06-07.
  19. ^ "Adamek outpoints Cunningham in split decision". ESPN.com. 2012-12-23. Retrieved 2021-06-07.
  20. ^ "Vyacheslav Glazkov Ends Tomasz Adamek's Lucky Run On The Scorecards". Queensberry Rules. Retrieved 2021-06-07.
  21. ^ "Adamek vs Haumono - News, Tape, Ringwalk, TV, Streaming & Tickets". Box.Live. Retrieved 2021-08-29.
  22. ^ "Tomasz Adamek defeats Fred Kassi". Boxing News 24. 2017-11-19.
  23. ^ "Miller vs Adamek - News, Tape, Ringwalk, TV, Streaming & Tickets". Box.Live. Retrieved 2021-08-29.
  24. ^ Staff, BoxingScene (6 October 2018). "Jarrell Miller Crushes Tomasz Adamek in Two Rounds". BoxingScene.com. Retrieved 2021-08-29.
  25. ^ Jacek Łosak (2023-12-18). "Chalidow vs Adamek! Starcie legend na wyjątkowej gali XTB KSW Epic | MMAROCKS". MMA Rocks! (in Polish). Retrieved 2023-12-21.
  26. ^ Jakub Madej (2024-02-24). "Kontuzja ręki Mameda Khalidova! Tomasz Adamek wygrywa na gali KSW EPIC w starciu legend". MMA Rocks (in Polish). Retrieved 2024-02-24.
  27. ^ "Boxing on NBC a hit". 3 January 2013. Retrieved 27 September 2022.
  28. ^ "WSOF's first NBC show draws 906,000 viewers". 10 July 2014. Retrieved 27 September 2022.
  29. ^ "Walka Adamek-Kliczko: 1,15 mln widzów w RTL, 200 tys. subskrypcji PPV" (in Polish). 14 September 2011. Archived from the original on 30 June 2015. Retrieved 29 May 2020.
  30. ^ "Tomasz Adamek vs Witalij Kliczko – 200 tys. widzów zapłaciło po 40 zł" (in Polish). Archived from the original on 12 November 2020. Retrieved 29 May 2020.
  31. ^ "Walka Adamek-Szpilka hitem sprzedaży PPV?" (in Polish). Retrieved 15 May 2022.
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Sporting positions
Regional boxing titles
Vacant
Title last held by
Joe Gatti
IBC Inter-Continental
light heavyweight champion

2 March 2001 – October 2003
Vacated
Vacant
Title next held by
Prince Badi Ajamu
Vacant
Title last held by
Milorad Dukovic
CISBB light heavyweight champion
24 May 2002 – June 2002
Vacated
Vacant
Title next held by
Andrey Shkalikov
New title Poland International
light heavyweight champion

18 October 2002 – 2007
Vacated
Vacant
Title next held by
Grzegorz Soszyński
Vacant
Title last held by
Vadym Safonov
IBF Inter-Continental
light heavyweight champion

4 October 2003 – January 2004
Vacated
Vacant
Title next held by
Vadym Safonov
Vacant
Title last held by
Zsolt Erdei
WBO Inter-Continental
light heavyweight champion

17 April 2004 – May 2005
Vacated
Vacant
Title next held by
Stipe Drews
Vacant
Title last held by
Alexey Soloviev
IBF International
heavyweight champion

24 October 2009 – September 2011
Vacated
Vacant
Title next held by
Kubrat Pulev
Vacant
Title last held by
Brian Minto
NABO heavyweight champion
24 April 2010 – August 2011
Vacated
Vacant
Title next held by
Amir Mansour
Vacant
Title last held by
Amir Mansour
IBF North American
heavyweight champion

16 June 2012 – 15 March 2014
Succeeded by
Vacant
Title last held by
Mike Mollo
Poland International
heavyweight champion

18 November 2017 – April 2019
Vacated
Vacant
Title next held by
Martin Bakole
Minor world boxing titles
Vacant
Title last held by
Carl Thompson
IBO cruiserweight champion
9 June 2007 – 27 February 2009
Stripped
Vacant
Title next held by
Danny Green
Major world boxing titles
Vacant
Title last held by
Antonio Tarver
WBC light heavyweight champion
21 May 2005 – 3 February 2007
Succeeded by
Preceded by IBF cruiserweight champion
11 December 2008 – 18 October 2009
Vacated
Vacant
Title next held by
Steve Cunningham
Vacant
Title last held by
David Haye
The Ring cruiserweight champion
11 December 2008 – 10 February 2010
Vacated
Vacant
Title next held by
Yoan Pablo Hernández